WORLD TRAVEL REPORT: ECUADOR
Welcome to my first World Travel Pro, World Travel Report. In this report I will be covering Ecuador. Each World Travel Report will be taken from a long term backer perspective and will be focusing on the seven key elements of "backpacker Paradise".
Ecuador
Back Packer Paradise Score: 3.5
Affordability= 4
Food= 2
Culture = 3.5
Safety = 3.5
Activities = 4.5
Hotel Value= 4
Transportation = 3
Paradise Hot Spots: Vilcabamba, Cuenca, Quito, Montanita, Banos
Ecuador is a country I've spent a considerable amount of time in. It rates high in affordability, which makes it great for long term travel. You can generally find and negotiate deals for hotels in the 8-13 dollar range throughout the country. They will try to double the price for a second person, but you can often negotiate that down to an extra 5 dollars.
Ecuador is a popular retirement destination, and offers great long term visa opportunities as well. Ecuador hosts one of the biggest retirement communities in South America in the city of Cuenca. A very lovely city that has benefited immensely from the money brought in by retirees.
A pristine Central Park along side the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Cuenca; considered the biggest and nicest in all of South America. Hosting pink marble floors imported from Italy!
The second most famous retirement community is in Vilcabamba "The valley of longevity" at 5,000 ft above sea level near the equator, it has year round perfect weather. Many also refer to this place as a health-food haven, and the raw food capitol of the world!
Here is a photo of the park and church in Vilcabamba
Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America, but packs a big punch in terms of what you can do here. The country crosses from beaches on the Pacific to the Andes mountains, then to the jungle of the Amazon. This offers great opportunity for some incredible outdoor adventures including: surfing, mountain climbing, mountain biking, hiking, jungle trekking, bird watching, rafting, camping and more!
It's a very culturally divers country, and generally safe without many scams. The Andes and Amazon regions are much safer and traveler friendly than the coast. The main city on the coast is Guayaquil I don't advise even going there. It's like the 100% Latino Miami, only more dangerous, poorer, and expensive.
Drinking and street cred, is generally what the "Guayacas" are all about. The entire coast more or less has adopted this culture, the city of Esmereldas in the north west is even worse. However there are some gems to be found like Ayampe a humble beach town, and the touristy surf party mecca, Montanita.
The Andes region has a much safer and richer culture. It's comprised of a high population of Quichwa Indians and they hold their values to a high standard. They are polite, friendly, and interesting. Latacunga is a historic city small enough to cover on foot. A great place to take a step back in time.
Latacunga with snow capped Volcano Cotopaxi in the distance.
Banos is one of the more touristed areas for Ecuadorians and foreigners alike. It's famous for it's natural hot spring baths, hiking, rafting, scenic waterfalls, and the famous down hill mountain biking rout leading into the Amazon. The Amazon region offers tours, and eco-tourism. It's a great place to get wild and meet some serious indigenous tribes.
Natural hot water baths in Banos
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The food in this country is like I find in many Central and South American countries, bland, lacks spices, and if you find anything green on your plate consider yourself lucky! It's certainly affordable especially the "almouerzos", set lunches. They range from 2-4 dollars and should fill you up. They generally consist of a soup, juice, meat, rice, and secondary starch like potato or yucca.
The cleanliness can be an issue, one must be careful of what they eat. The best way to take precaution is to avoid eating from the stalls in the open air markets and take a good look at who is cooking, the cleanliness of the restaurant, and if they are busy.
To have your own apartment and cook for yourself can make a world of difference. Shopping in the open air markets is fun and very cheap. They have a decent range of fruit and vegetables. Meat is not refrigerated, so come early in the morning when it's most fresh. If you prefer a more western food shopping experience. The big super market chain is called Super Maxi and you can find them in the more populated cities, but expect higher prices.
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Transportation is generally done by bus. It's cheap, you can go from Quito in the north 10 hours south to Loja for less than 15 dollars. However winding through the Andes makes for slow tedious travel, some have been known to get motion sickness. Flying is an ok option, but the government has high taxes on flights and can cost about 100 dollars one way, domestic.
Overall I recommend a trip to Ecuador. This country has a lot to offer. It rates well on the backpacker paradise scale. It's downsides are made up fore in many ways. With a rich culture and lots to do, you will be in for a great travel experience!
Please up-vote, follow, and resteem.................... Next week we will cover Panama!
Banos, in particular looks very beautiful. Great post.
Thank you. It is very beautiful, but it can get pretty rainy there at times.
@world-travel-pro
Wow! You wasn't kidding when you said I might find your article interesting. No doubt it most definitely was I enjoyed it and look forward to learning about Panama..
Will be following you!
Yeah, @world-travel-pro commented on my Steemit pageand I came over to check out this post and was not disappointed. I couldn't tell from the article but I'm guessing that that the paradise scale is from 1-5?
Great article and can't wait to read about Panama!
I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the article. I certainly enjoyed yours. Yes the scale is from 1-5. Good tip I should ad that to the post. The link I put in the article is to a detailed description of my Backpacer paradise scale. You can see it here.
https://steemit.com/travel/@world-travel-pro/what-is-backpacker-paradise
Thank you for the compliments. Glad you enjoyed Jaiwada!
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Great post and thanks for the helpful insights.
Thank you! This is so exciting. I always wanted to be a travel writer. Waking up this morning to 250 + votes and over 70 dollars. Holly Shit! Looks like my dream is coming true! Will certainly like to buy you a drink when I get to Playas.
What's an interesting post. I love the shots. I should to visit the Ecuador has a lot of offers as well. Now I am only buy straight from them the bitter chocolate btw it is the best one I have been ever eaten. I follow you. You welcome to follow me as well. Of course upvote and resteem. Have a good one ;)
Thank you for the kind comments. Yes Ecuador is famous for it's chocolate, that have a very rich agricultural scene going on there. Will check out your blog now!
Great ;) See you there ;)
Congratulations @world-travel-pro!
Your post was mentioned in my hit parade in the following category:
awesome article!! i want to learn from you and become a perpetual traveler :) - maybe work on a "guide for dummies"?
Wow. What a compliment. I hope you have no problem resteeming my article. Seems that's the best way to get attention.
On that note. if you are serious about working together. I can make that happen. I'm not so good with computers and internet marketing, but I have probably 10 books on budget travel/lifestyle in my head. If you've got a business plan email me at allgood1949@hotmail.com or dan.gardner.82 skype.
Here is my intro to inform you more about who I am
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@world-travel-pro/who-is-the-world-travel-pro-a-re-introduction-to-the-steemit-community
Awesome, I'll message you ;)
Great blog. I just wish that volcano pic was bigger. Looks awesome.
Thanks for the tip. I'm so new here, I'm still learning the tech side of posting. Will keep things like that in mind!
I just published another travel report you will enjoy, you can see it here.
https://steemit.com/travel/@world-travel-pro/world-travel-report-paradise-hot-spot-lake-atitlan-guatemala
Thank you- World Travel Pro
Nice post. I've been living in Cuenca for 6 years now. Your description of the country and life here seems on target to me. One thing I would add is that here in Cuenca there is something of a backlash against the gringo community.
This is not so much against people like me (many local friends, married to a woman from Zamora-Chinchipe) but against the gringos who come here and live apart. There are a lot of North Americans here who speak no Spanish, go only to known gringo hangouts, and generally want nothing to do with the Ecuadoreans. That causes much of the stress.
I don't know much about your lifestyle, but see backpackers mostly around Calle Larga and Presidente Borrero. There seem to be a lot of hostels and the like that cater to your crowd there.
Keep the posts coming!
Great bonus info for the audience. Yes that is what happens when you have two cultures that generally don't integrate, with a heavy language barrier. The American's don't come to Ecuador to be Ecuadorian that is for sure.
I have lived in Cuenca for a bit over a month. I'm familiar with the city quite well, including where the backpackers hang out on Calle Largo.
What you say is true. But in general I don't see a lot of hate. I speak fluent Spanish and have one foot in both worlds. If you speak Spanish, you get accepted quickly and it makes a world of difference.
It's true many Ecuadorians are negative about the gringo invasion. But there are many including shop owners who appreciate it, and understand that their, and their cities financial success has a lot to do with it.
One thing for sure. There is no such thing as the perfect place on this planet. I hope you enjoy what you have there in Cuenca. It's a very nice place to live!
Thank you for reading my post. I'm glad you enjoyed!
You sound like me with being in both worlds. I have had a few incidents of anti-gringo sentiment aimed at me in the last 6 years. But most of the anti-gringo stuff I hear is from Ecuadorean friends bitching about those who live separate. I don't hear much about the backpacking crowd from anyone, which is probably good news for you guys.
I like the quality of your reporting. What you say describes very well what I see out there. Much better than a lot of the reporting out there. Example: this Breitbart writeup about Cuenca that talks about "Cuencans," a term I have never heard used by anyone (expat or Cuencano) who has actually spent time here.
Keep the quality content coming!
Thank you for the ringing endorsement. Part of my motivation on this platform, is that I'm tired of everything you read online just being about how great everything is, which is a just total misleading propaganda. International living magazine is a perfect example. Everyone is trying to sell you something! It can often set people up for disappointment and worse.
Every location on the planet has it's advantages and it's pitfalls. When you read three pages of wonderful and nothing more. You need to take it with grain of salt!
All I want to do is get the real information out there, and those who value it will value me. In turn I am rewarded, even if not financially, inside I know I'm doing good.
On a further note; I'll be posting about how to get the best deal on ariline tickets later today. Hope you find it useful. Have a great day. -Dan, World Travel Pro!
I just published another travel report you will enjoy, you can see it here.
https://steemit.com/travel/@world-travel-pro/world-travel-report-paradise-hot-spot-lake-atitlan-guatemala
Thank you- World Travel Pro
This looks like an amazing adventurous ride.. thanks for sharing @world-travel-pro ... Following you now!
Thank you!
I just published another travel report you will enjoy, you can see it here.
https://steemit.com/travel/@world-travel-pro/world-travel-report-paradise-hot-spot-lake-atitlan-guatemala
Thank you- World Travel Pro